Nasheman

India's largest selling Urdu weekly, now also in English

You are here: Home / 2022 / Archives for April 2022

Archives for April 2022

Attack at Srisailam in Andhra Pradesh on devotees from Karnataka,CM Bommai requests AP CM to protect pilgrims from Karnataka

by

Parmesh S JAIN

Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai has requested his Andhra Pradesh counterpart to provide protection for devotees from Karnataka who visit Srisailam.

Pilgrims from Karnataka have been assaulted at Srisailam.A large number of pilgrims from other states visit Srisailam for the religious Jatra(fair). The pilgrims from outside should be ensured proper protection, Bommai said.

Speaking to media persons at Vidhana Soudha about the incident at Srisailam,Bommai said, a large number of devotees from Maharashtra and Karnataka visit Srisailam in Andhra Pradesh.

A clash has happened between the pilgrims while returning.A stabbing incident too has been reported in the clash between the local pilgrims and the pilgrims from outside.

I have been in constant contact with Andhra Pradesh officials since yesterday night. The situation is now in control.

Two pilgrims were seriously injured and hospitalised.They are recovering. Efforts are on to speak to the Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister,” Bommai said.

Sri Lankan President Rajapaksa invites Opposition to join unity government

by

Sri Lanka President

COLOMBO: Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on Monday invited all political parties to join a unity Cabinet as part of the government’s bid to tackle the raging public anger against the ongoing hardships caused by the island nation’s worst economic crisis.

On Sunday night, all 26 Cabinet Ministers submitted letters of resignation.

Speaking to reporters, Education Minister and Leader of the House Dinesh Gunawardena said the ministers handed over their resignations to Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa. He provided no reason for the mass resignation.

The government’s invitation to all the Opposition parties came as mass public agitations mounted against the ruling Rajapaksa family for its mishandling of the economic situation triggered by the foreign exchange crisis and the balance of payment issues.

The public thronged the streets asking the president to resign. The protests triggered the imposition of curfew after a state of emergency was declared by the President.

When the protests intensified, the government clamped a social media ban for 15 hours on Sunday. The people defied the curfew to protest against long queues for fuel and gas and long hours without electricity.

Governor of the Central Bank Ajith Nivard Cabraal has also announced his resignation. “In the context of all Cabinet ministers resigning, I have today submitted my resignation as Governor,” Cabraal said.

He was blamed for his rigid stance on Sri Lanka seeking an economic bailout through an International Monetary Fund (IMF) structural adjustment facility.

Despite his opposition, the government in the last fortnight approached the international lender for support. During his governorship, the Central Bank was accused of printing large volumes of money, triggering inflation.

The country is grappling with what is said to be its worst economic crisis since independence from the UK in 1948. It is caused in part by a lack of foreign currency, which is used to pay for fuel imports.

People are languishing in long queues for fuel, cooking gas and endure power cuts lasting multiple hours. Sri Lanka is currently experiencing its worst economic crisis in history.

With long lines for fuel, cooking gas, essentials in short supply and long hours of power cuts, the public has been suffering for weeks.

Rajapaksa has defended his government’s actions, saying the foreign exchange crisis was not his making and the economic downturn was largely pandemic driven with the island nation’s tourism revenue and inward remittances waning.

Despite big dip in cases, post-COVID woes persist in Kerala

by

KOCHI: It has been over a month since the COVID cases started declining noticeably in the state in the third wave. Though the numbers have come down, post-COVID issues are still making many ill. According to experts, non-serious and persistent symptoms are being exhibited by people who have recovered from COVID.

These persistent symptoms in recovered patients occur irrespective of age but are seen mostly affecting youngsters, especially in the age group of 30-45 years. “Youngsters are the most affected in the third wave. In certain cases, patients develop symptoms after two weeks of infection. They will not have any symptoms during the period of infection but only during the recuperating time,” said Dr Mathew George, a general physician based in Alappuzha.

“Though the severity of infection due to the Omicron variant was way less compared to the earlier two waves, post COVID-issues should not be neglected. Recurrent headache, nasal issues including nose blockage and sinus are triggered among those facing with allergy issues mainly. In the case of some, these symptoms will subside only gradually,” said Dr Praveen.

However, in the case of those with comorbidities, it is better to consult a doctor if they have persistent post-COVID symptoms, he added. However, experts also believe that the fight against COVID is far from over.

The rise in the COVID cases across the world including China, Israel and European countries hints at the advent of the fourth wave, they say. 

Karnataka CM Basavaraj Bommai to brief BJP top brass on state budget

by

BENGALURU: Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai is likely to visit New Delhi for two days after April 5 and meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Finance Minister Niramala Sitharaman and their cabinet colleagues to present copies of his maiden and last full-fledged budget of the BJP government before the 2023 Assembly polls.

Bommai will explain the essence of his budget and its repercussions on the government and the party to the national leadership. He also has to impress on the central leadership to release the grant-in-aid to the state.

Bommai, who held an all-party meeting on inter-state water disputes and also piloted a unanimous resolution condemning Tamil Nadu’s resolution against the Mekedatu project, is also likely to meet Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat.

It is interesting to see whether he will also call on Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupendra Yadav, who is close to Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah and is in the know of political affairs concerning Karnataka.

Cabinet reshuffle and appointments to boards and corporations to give a ‘fresh’ administrative look to his government may also come up during Bommai’s Delhi visit.

BJP committee to appreciate CM Basavaraj Bommai

The state BJP executive committee meeting slated to be held on April 16 and 17 at Vijayanagara is likely to pass a resolution appreciating Bommai’s budget, calling it development-oriented. Party’s national president JP Nadda will inaugurate the meeting which will be held at Tourism Minister Anand Singh’s residence.

Singh had met KPCC president DK Shivakumar at the latter’s residence in Bengaluru recently. The BJP executive committee meeting at Singh’s residence is to send out a message that he is not quitting the party, especially after its performance in four states, sources said.

Petrol, diesel prices hiked for 12th time in 14 days

by

NEW DELHI: The State-run oil marketing companies on Monday raised key transport fuel prices for the 12th time in the last 14 days.

On Monday, the price of petrol and diesel in New Delhi were increased again by 40 paise per litre. As per pump prices, petrol now costs Rs 103.81 per litre and diesel Rs 95.07 per litre in the national capital.

In the financial capital Mumbai, prices were hiked to Rs 118.83 per litre for petrol and diesel to Rs 103.07 per litre.

Besides, the prices of both the transport fuels were raised in Kolkata. The petrol prices rose to Rs 113.45 and diesel to Rs 98.22 per litre.

In Chennai too, they were increased and petrol there now costs Rs 109.34 and diesel Rs 99.42 per litre.

Till last Tuesday, fuel prices were steady since November 2021 when the Centre reduced excise duty on petrol and diesel by Rs 5 and Rs 10 per litre, respectively.

The OMCs revised the transportation fuel cost based on various factors such as rupee to US dollar exchange rate, cost of crude oil and demand of fuel amongst others.

Resultantly, the final price includes excise duty, value added tax and dealer’s commission. It was widely expected that the OMCs will revise the current prices due to high crude oil cost.

Lately, crude oil prices have been volatile on fears of tight supplies due to sanctions against Russia. The crude oil price range is a cause of concern for India as it may ultimately add Rs 10-15 in petrol and diesel selling prices. At present, India imports nearly 85 per cent of its crude oil requirements.

Pandits will return to Kashmir soon: RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat

by

NEW DELHI:  Stating that the entire nation is with Kashmiri Pandits, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat on Sunday said they would return to their Valley homes soon. Virtually addressing the Navreh (Kashmiri New year) celebration in Kashmir, Bhagwat said the government is working for creating a conducive atmosphere for the migrant Pandits. 

“The time has come for fulfilling the pledge of returning (Pandits) to their native homes in the Kashmir Valley. Pandits live in different countries despite the fact that Kashmir is an integral part of India. We can live anywhere but we cannot forget our homeland,” he said.

Speaking about The Kashmir Files movie, the RSS chief said the film highlighted the “plight of Kashmiri Pandits” and “spread awareness throughout the world about the Kashmiri Hindu community”. “Why we had to be displaced from Kashmir time and again? Whatever our shortcomings may have been, the reason for this is the bigotry of a particular class. And we have the remedy for this bigotry. If we can stay there, we will put an end to the poison of this bigotry,” he said, asserting that the removal of Article 370 has paved the way for the return of Pandits.

“Article 370 has been abrogated by our efforts, and this has paved way for our return to our homeland,” Bhagwat said, adding that the Pandits will be at their home by next year. Referring to the Jews creating the Israeli nation, Bhagwat said: “Ignominy of being refugees in own country has to be surpassed with Sankalp. Jews for 1,800 years kept their fire alive and attained their goal in the last 100 years,” he said. 
Efforts are on to make the Pandits live peacefully with their neighbours like they used to before, he said.

28 of 30 districts in Karnataka report zero COVID-19 cases

by

BENGALURU: For the first time through the pandemic, 28 of the 30 districts of Karnataka listed on the state health department data sheet (Vijayanagar is part of Ballari) have recorded no additions to their respective COVID-19 tallies.

The COVID-19 death toll has remained stationary at 40,054 over the past three days, although the mortality rate has remained just a notch above the 1 per cent mark (at 1.01 per cent). The health department had aimed to bring the mortality rate below the 1 per cent mark in an effort to minimise deaths.

Of the total Covid-19 death toll, the first wave of the pandemic (March 2020 to January 2021) claimed approximately 12,400 lives; the second wave (March 2021 to December 2021) claimed about 25,900 lives; while the third wave (January 2022 till date) claimed about 1,700 lives. 

The third wave of the pandemic lasted just for three months. The low death count  in this wave is being attributed to a significantly less severe Omicron variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and increasing vaccination cover among the state’s population.

Curfew stays in Rajasthan city after communal clashes

by

JAIPUR: High tension and an eerie silence prevailed in Karauli city of Rajasthan on Sunday where curfew has been imposed since communal clashes erupted on Saturday evening. Tension arose between two communities in Ajmer’s Beawar city over the murder of a youth on the eve of the Hindu new year celebrations. While the situation remains tense, politics over the clashes has intensified sharply and the government and the opposition are blaming each other for the incidents that have sparked off communal tensions. 

In Karauli, curfew remains in force since communal clashes erupted on Saturday evening. People remain locked in their homes since communal tensions erupted due to stone pelting on a bike rally of Hindu extremist organisations who were celebrating the Hindu new year in a Muslim locality of Karauli. The incident left dozens of people injured and vehicles and shops were set on fire leading to a curfew. In the violence that broke out miscreants ransacked and set fire to more than 35 shops and two dozen vehicles. After this, District Collector Rajendra Singh Shekhawat imposed curfew in the city which will remain in force till April 4.  

CM Ashok Gehlot has blamed the BJP for the incidents in Karauli on Saturday and Beawar on Sunday. Talking to the media in Barmer,  CM Ashok Gehlot attributed the mobilization on religious grounds as the reason behind the Karauli incident.  While targeting the Centre, the Yogi government and BJP in UP, Gehlot said, “their approach to governance does not get attention.”

Daily COVID-19 cases fall below 1,000 in India, first time in 715 days

by

NEW DELHI: India recorded less than 1,000 new COVID-19 cases for the first time in 715 days even as the virus tally rose to 4,30,29,044, while the active infection count fell below 13,000, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Monday.

India recorded COVID-19 cases below 1,000 for the first time since April 18, 2020 when 991 cases were reported.

A reduction of 416 cases has been recorded in the number of active infections in a span of 24 hours. India’s COVID-19 tally had surpassed the one-crore mark on December 19, 2020.

The country crossed the grim milestone of two crore coronavirus cases on May 4 and three crore on June 23 last year. The daily positivity rate was recorded at 0.29 per cent and the weekly positivity rate at 0.22 per cent, according to the Health Ministry.

A total of 79.10 crore tests for the detection of COVID-19 have been conducted so far, including 3,14,823 in the last 24 hours. The 13 new fatalities include eight from Kerala. A total of 5,21,358 deaths linked to coronavirus have so far been reported in the country.

This includes 1,47,789 from Maharashtra, 68,074 from Kerala, 40,054 from Karnataka, 38,025 from Tamil Nadu, 26,153 from Delhi, 23,496 from Uttar Pradesh and 21,199 from West Bengal. The Health Ministry stressed that more than 70 per cent of the deaths occurred due to comorbidities.

“Our figures are being reconciled with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR),” the ministry said on its website, adding that state-wise distribution of figures is subject to further verification and reconciliation.

Pak Supreme Court to hear dismissal of no-trust vote against PM, dissolution of Parliament

by

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Supreme Court will hear on Monday the dismissal of a no-confidence vote against Prime Minister Imran Khan by the deputy speaker and the subsequent dissolution of Parliament by the President on the advice of the embattled premier, a day after taking a suo motu cognizance of the current political situation in the country.

Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial, after taking a suo motu cognizance of the current political situation in the country, said that all orders and actions initiated by the prime minister and the president regarding the dissolution of the National Assembly will be subject to the court’s order as he adjourned for one day the hearing of the high-profile case.

A three-member bench held the initial hearing despite the weekend and issued notices to all the respondents, including President Alvi and Deputy Speaker of the NA Suri.

The Supreme Court ordered all parties not to take any “unconstitutional” measures and adjourned the hearing until Monday.

Former information minister Fawad Chaudhry said that the ruling given in the National Assembly by the deputy speaker for the dismissal of the no-trust motion against Prime Minister Khan was “final” and could not be challenged in any court of law.

Talking to the media outside the Supreme Court, the close aide of Khan said that the NA deputy speaker’s ruling came after completion of the constitutional process over the no-trust motion.

Earlier, the Opposition had demanded the top court to intervene and Shehbaz Sharif, the Leader of the Opposition in Parliament, announced his party’s decision to challenge the dissolution of the NA.

Ahsan Bhoon, President, Supreme Court Bar, said that the action of the prime minister and deputy speaker was against the constitution and “they should be prosecuted for treason under Article 6 of the constitution.

Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) also filed a petition asking the court to declare the ruling of the deputy speaker as unconstitutional along with the dissolution of the parliament.

The crisis erupted after Suri rejected the no-confidence motion, providing Prime Minister Khan to send an advice to the president of the country to dissolve Parliament, which he could not do until any outcome of the no-confidence vote.

Leading constitutional lawyer Salman Akram Raja said that the “entire procure by the deputy speaker and the advice by the premier to dissolve the assembly was unconstitutional”.

Raja said the illegality of the ruling would also make the advice as illegal as the prime minister cannot give advice to the assembly after a no-confidence motion was presented in the parliament against him.

KNOW US

GET INVOLVED

PROMOTE

Archives